A pollutant-capturing yellow boom spotted floating at Fulford will remain there a while longer, according to Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) officials, after a work barge and crane capsized in the harbour during high winds Thursday, Dec. 18.
First deployed by the CCG, the containment boom has since been tended by the barge’s owner, according to a federal spokesperson reached over the holidays, and that owner has cleaned up debris on the beach nearby. Officials said the fuel and other pollutants initially seen on the water had ceased “upwelling” and that the owner has hired a salvage contractor, who will right the barge as soon as crews are available.
“The Canadian Coast Guard is working with the owner to ensure an appropriate response,” according to a statement Wednesday, Dec. 24 from the Department of National Defence (DND), which integrated Coast Guard operations in September. “The boom will remain in place as a precautionary measure.”
Diesel and hydraulic fluid had been seen near the upturned barge during and after the storm, but appears to have been contained by the boom.
A 35-foot tugboat registered to Salt Spring’s Gordon Wahl of Wahl Marine Construction also broke free from the barge, and was blown aground; federal officials said owners are liable for the costs of addressing their “problem vessels” after a storm, including salvage, fuel and oil cleanup or any remediation action taken by CCG.
During the Dec. 18 storm, more than 8,000 customers lost power in the Southern Gulf Islands alone, according to BC Hydro, with some 120,000 homes going dark for several hours province-wide. Wind gusts of nearly 80 kilometres per hour were recorded at weather stations near Fulford Harbour.
Extended power outages also occurred in the islands due to high winds on Monday, Dec. 15.